calling alls t u d e n t s

college can be toughWe make things easy. Real easy.

Finding the right bank shouldn’t

be like studying for an exam.

Citizens Bank and trust makes

it easy to take charge of your

finances.

Citizens Bank and trust want to

offer you REAL financial literacy

to help you make sound decisions

about spending, credit and invest-

ments, and help adults navigate

difficult financial situations like

buying a home and saving for

retirement.

A lack of knowledge about credit, investing and financial planning

is at the heart of the recent economic downturn. The Great Reces-

sion demonstrated that our citizens struggle when making com-

plex financial decisions that are critical to their wellbeing. Some of

our economic problems were created by bad actors, focused on

personal gain, but so many others were created by good people

making poorly informed personal financial decisions,

T i r e d o f f e e s ? — You’re already paying all kinds of fees at school – why pay for your checking account? Find out about our Free Citizens Checking account and see how good it feels to NOT have to pay extra for something.

B u s i n e s s M a j o r ? — Even if you aren’t, you probably like money. Maybe one of our interest bearing products is more your speed. We’ve got a wide variety of products to fit your lifestyle and financial needs.

n e e d M o n e y n o w ? — Talk to one of our loan specialists or see if your qualified for an Elan College Reward Card.

w a n T e a s y a c c e s s T o y o u r M o n e y ? — We offer all of this and access to your money online anytime with our Online Banking for your computer or smart-phone – yeah, there’s an app for that.

s T i l l h a v e q u e s T i o n s ? — There’s always someone to talk to at any one of our 12 convenient locations across Polk County. Come see us. We’ll help you get started.

-John Pelletier, director of Financial Literacy Chaplain College.

try our free mobile banking app.

smartphone users, rejoice! In an

effort to accommodate the

on- the-go lifestyles of our

customers, CB&t is everywhere

you are. that’s right, use your

cell phone to do your personal

banking.

Check balances before heading

out, make a car payment while

you’re waiting for class to start,

or create account transfers

at home. Mobile banking is a

stress-free way to manage your

finances on the go.

Our CB&t App is available for

both iPhone and Android users

and we also have a mini mo-

bile site you can access online

through your mobile device. We

may be Polk County’s Commu-

nity Bank but we also know your

bright future could take you

anywhere!

f e a T u r e s

•CheckYourBalances

•PayBillsorMakePayments

•FindATMsandBranchesNearYou

•SeeYourLatestAccountActivity

•TransferFunds

•DailyBalanceSummary

•AccountTransactionInformation

•Real-TimeSecurityAlerts

safe & easy online banking

It’s ok. Anyone can do it.

new to online banking?

this is a new time for you! College, jobs,

bills, banking- oh my. Citizens Bank & trust

online banking can help you track your

spending, set auto payments for bills and

keep up to date on your accounts. It’s easy

and free…why not use these services?

c o n v e n i e n c e — Citizens Bank & Trust online never closes; we’re available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and only a mouse click away.

l o c a T i o n — Ifyou’reoutofstateorevenoutofthe country when a money problem arises, you can log in instantly to your online account and take care of business 24/7.

T r a n s a c T i o n s p e e d — Citizens Bank & Trust online can execute and confirm transactions with immediate response.

e f f i c i e n c y — You can access and manage all of your accounts,Savings,Checking,CDs,evenyourTrustAccounts,fromonesecuresite.

Intro to a savings account.

moneyin the bank

A savings account is a savings

account, right? Wrong. savings

accounts, Cds, and other cash

investments can be great choices

for meeting more immediate

goals, since your money is

safe and easily accessible. But

they can vary widely in interest

rates, fees, service charges, and

potential penalties. so it’s smart

to shop around for an account

that not only keeps your money

secure - but also helps it grow.

It’s no secret that the higher

the interest rate, the more the

account earns. But interest

can be calculated in two ways

- simple or compound. An

account paying simple interest

means you’ll only earn interest

on the principal, or the amount

you put into the account. But

an account paying compound

interest will pay interest on

your interest too - helping your

account grow faster. Another

thing to look for is whether

you’re charged any fees or

commissions for opening an

account or keeping it open,

since that could take a big bite

out of your earnings.

From no minimum balance fees

to 24-hour online access, you

can compare savings accounts to

find the one that’s best for you

at Citizens-Bank.com.

are you interested?Growing interest with Cds.

You can enjoy the best that Cds

and savings accounts can provide

if your bank offers interest dis-

bursement. It means you can have

the interest you’re earning on your

Cds automatically transferred to

your savings or checking account

every month - or once a year, if

you prefer. this choice gives you

access to your earnings without

dipping into your principal or fac-

ing penalties for early withdrawal,

and is a good option if you need

the money for some living ex-

penses. And you’ll still have the

full amount of your principal to

reinvest in your ladder when the

Cd matures.

If you don’t choose interest

disbursement, the interest is cred-

ited directly to your Cd, so your

principal is even larger when you

reinvest it in a new Cd.

M a T u r i T y d a T e s — StaggeringthematuritydatesofCDsgivesyougreaterflexibilitythan investing your entire principal inasingleCD.Let’ssayyouhave$7,500 to invest, and you are look-ingforaCDwithathree-yearterm to take advantage of the higher rates that are usually paid on longer-termCDs.

l a d d e r i n g — To ladder, you divide your principal into three parts, worth $2,500 each, andbuyaone-yearCD,atwo-yearCD,andathree-yearCD.Whentheone-yearCDmatures,youreinvestinathree-yearCD.Youdothesamewhenthetwo-yearCDmatures,andagain when the original three-year CDmatures.Atthatpoint,you’llhavethreeCDs,eachwithathree-year term, but with one maturing each year.

c h a n g e — Interestratesaresubjecttochange,butbyladderingCDs,you’reableto even out the highs and lows that invariably come with interest rate cycles.

If your grand total is $1,000

or more then you would

need to make at least $7 an

hour, or salary of $14,560

before taxes.

If your grand total is $2,000

or more then you would

need to make at least

$14 an hour, or salary of

$29,120 before taxes.

If your grand total is $3,000

or more then you would

need to make at least

$21 an hour, or salary of

$43,680 before taxes.

If your grand total is $4,000

or more then you would

need to make at least

$28 an hour, or salary of

$58,240 before taxes.

All of these calculations are

just to get by paying for

your expenses, this doesn’t

include putting any money

into savings.

s h e lT e r apartment

T r a n s p o r T a T i o n gas

f o o d groceries restaurants

u T i l i T i e s electricity/gas water land line cellular phone internet cable

e n T e r T a i n M e n T movies sports events concerts books/magazines clubs bars

p e r s o n a l clothing haircuts cosmetics/toiletries manicures laundromat

o T h e r car insurance health insurance tuition books student loans gym memberships vacations pets tobacco products

check with realityWhat kind of lifestyle do you want?

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

TOTAL

GRANDTOTAL

MONTHLYEXPENSES JUSTTOGETBY

What you’ll need for what you want.

it’s never to early to start saving

the average price of new home

in Florida is $182,400.

the average price of a roundtrip

ticket from tPA to nYC is $348.

the average price of new car

in Florida is $28,400.

the average price for a four day

ski vacation is $1,300.

How to read your credit report.

The good, bad, and the ugly

Your credit report contains a

wealth of information about

your financial actions. If you

have credit or loan accounts,

those accounts and how you pay

them, are included in your credit

report. It’s important to review

your credit report at least once

a year so you know what your

creditors are saying about you.

understanding your credit report

can be confusing, especially if

you’re reading it for the first

time. Here is a breakdown of the

types information contained in

your report.

Personal information including

your name, address, and place

of employment is used to iden-

tify you. Previous addresses and

places of employment might also

be included.

It’s not uncommon to have

variations or misspellings of your

name. Most credit reporting

agencies leave these variations

to maintain the link between

your identity and the credit

information. Having different

variations of your name and

old addresses won’t hurt your

credit score as long as it’s actu-

ally your information. Make sure

personal information is identify-

ing you and not someone else.

the credit summary section of

your credit report summarizes

information about the different

types of accounts you have. this

section lists the total number,

balance, number of current, and

number of delinquent accounts.

It will include the following ac-

count types:

Real estate accounts, any mort-

gages that you have, revolving

accounts, like credit cards and

lines of credit Installment ac-

counts, like loans other accounts

collection accounts your credit

summary will also summarize the

number of accounts you have

open, closed, in public records,

and the number of inquiries

made against your credit within

the past two years.

even more on reading your credit report.

the account history section of

your credit report contains the

bulk of the information. this sec-

tion includes each of your credit

accounts and details about how

you’ve paid. Your account his-

tory will be very detailed, but it’s

important that you read through

to make sure the information is

being reported correctly.

each account will contain the sev-

eral pieces of information.

c r e d i T o r n a M e — of the institution reporting the information.

a c c o u n T n u M B e r — associated with the account. The ac-count number may be scrambled or shortened for privacy purposes.

a c c o u n T T y p e — i.e. revolving account, education loan, auto loan.

r e s p o n s i B i l i T y — This indicates whether you have individual,joint,orauthorizeduserresponsibility for the account.

M o n T h ly p ay M e n T — is the minimum amount you are required to pay on the account each month.

The good, bad, and the ugly

d a T e o p e n e d — The month and year the account was established.

d a T e r e p o r T e d — is the last date the creditor updated the account information with the credit bureau.

B a l a n c e — The amount owed on the account at the time data was reported.

c r e d i T l i M i T — is your limit of credit

h i g h c r e d i T — is the highest amount ever charged on the credit card. For installment loans, high credit is the original loan amount.

p a s T d u e — Amountpastdueatthetimethedata was reported.

r e M a r k s — are comments made by the creditor about your account.

p ay M e n T s T a T u s — Indicatesthestatusoftheaccount,i.e. current, past due, charge-off. Even if your account is current, it might contain information about previous delinquencies.

p ay M e n T h i s T o r y — Indicatesyourmonthlypaymentstatus since the time your account was established.

How to read your credit report continued.

The good, bad, and the ugly

Public records include informa-

tion like bankruptcies, judg-

ments, tax liens, state and

country court records, and, in

some states, overdue child sup-

port. depending on the type

of account, a public record can

remain on your credit report

between 7-10 years. Only severe

financial blunders appear in

this section, not criminal arrests

or convictions. Because public

records can severely damage

your credit, it’s best to keep this

section clear.

Credit inquiries list all par-

ties who have accessed your

credit report within the past two

years. While your version of the

credit report lists several credit

inquiries, not all of these appear

on the lenders’ and creditors’

versions. Only “hard” inquiries

are shown to lenders. these are

inquiries made when a lender

checks your credit report to ap-

prove your credit application.

Your version will also include

“soft” inquiries consisting of

inquiries made by lenders for

promotional purposes.

g r e a T l i n k f o r a s s i s T a n c e w i T h M o n e y M a n a g e M e n T s k i l l s . . . v e r y h e l p f u l —

360financialliteracy.org/Life-Stages/College-students

l i n k s T o e v e r y k i n d o f c a l c u l a T o r y o u c o u l d i M a g i n e ! —

360financialliteracy.org/Tools/Calculators

n a T i o n a l f i n a n c i a l e d u c a T o r s c o u n c i l B l o g … . T o n s o f a r T i c l e s —

financialeducatorscouncil.org/blog/category/college-money-management/

a g r e a T s i T e f o r r e T i r e M e n T s a v i n g s T i p s f o r y o u n g p e o p l e a n d o T h e r u s e f u l f i n a n c i a l i n f o r M a T i o n —

investopedia.com/articles/younginvestors/06/tips18to24.asp

g e T y o u r c r e d i T r e p o r T f r e e h e r e ! —

annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

h o w d o c r e d i T r e p o r T s w o r k ? f i n d o u T h e r e —

money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/debt-management/credit-report.htm

w h a T s a f i c o s c o r e y o u M i g h T a s k ? T h i s s i T e w i l l T e l l y o u y o u r s c o r e a n d h o w T o M a i n T a i n a g o o d s c o r e —

myfico.com/CreditEducation/ Creditscores.aspx

Links to information you need to know

Auburndale | Bartow | Dundee | Haines City | Frostproof | Lake Wales | Lakeland | Winter Haven

863.676.7631 | 888.676.7631 | www.Citizens-Bank.com